The Gaming New Year

When the E-3 came out earlier this year, and I started this blog, it was all about building up the hype for the biggest games that were going to hit the streets. That hype is over and its show time now. With the holiday season almost upon us, the gaming world is coming face to face with what was promised to them almost 6 months before. While the year end is still some weeks away, I believe its safe to say that the 'Gaming New Year' is upon us. And so in proper Christmas tradition, I make up a list: a list of games that have come out or are coming out this year, a list of games that I would fight tooth and nail to own, a list that should define your future weeks too if you are a gamer. Since I really can't put these games into any kind of ranking, I am just going to place them in alphabetical order. So with further ado, my Christmas sock for this year.

Assassin's Creed 3:

When Ubisoft created Assassin's Creed as a Prince Of Persia rip-off, nobody would have imagined it would grow into a flagship franchise for the company or one of the most celebrated games of all time. With 4 proper canonical games and host of spin-offs, Assassin's Creed 3 is the magnum-opus for the game's protagonist Desmond. The game set in the most expansive setting yet (that of the American Revolution) was touted as the biggest and the best Assassin's Creed yet. I had a taste of Brotherhood on a PC sometime before, and earlier this year I played and loved Assassin's Creed 2, so I know what to expect when I get my hands on it. Its always fun to free run and meet historical figures and feel that you are playing an unknown part in shaping the world's history. While it maybe quite some time before I get my hand on the title (what with my meager pocket change), all that I have seen of the game have been impressive. Meanwhile, the game released last month on the 30th of October, and is now out there for you to decide. And just in case you are into video reviews, check out IGN's review below:

Far Cry 3:

Anybody who was a part of E-3, knew how much buzz the game has created. I have never played far-cry before, but it has always been because I was never in the right place on the right time. With the game looking as beautiful as it is, and the game's antagonist Vaas making the right(read wrong) kind of noises; I don't think lighting would be striking the same place for the third time. The game comes out on the 2nd of December this year, and after postponing its release date twice, lets just hope this Ubisoft biggy hits its target this time. Coming back to Vaas, Ubisoft recently released some live action videos based and tying up into Far-Cry 3 revolving around the character. While the expectation from the series was quite low, it's doing a decent job, and needless to say Vaas entertains. Check out the first episode of the series below:

Halo 4:

Yes, if you own a X-Box, there is no way in hell you haven't heard about this game. Its all over the X-Box Dashboard, its all over the internet, and come today(6th Of November) it will be all over the marketplace. I played the original Halo, way back during a college break, it wasn't mind blowing but it was okay (keep in mind I played this 2 years after its release) and I was enamored by Master-Chief. Almost 3 years after that I ended up playing Halo Reach (so I have now played the first game and the last, but none of the ones in between) during June-July and it was awesome. There are games you know (God Of War, Counter-Strike), which you need to play just once and you are hooked. Reach was that kind of a game. Maybe I am just overrun by all the hype the game is building(and its probably building more hype than all the other games combined) but if you think I am gonna buy the game just for nostalgia, you are so wrong.
Check out IGN' review of Halo-4 below:



On a completely different Halo related note, Halo has its own Live-Action series doing the rounds on the internet. The series known as "Forward Unto Dawn" is a prequel to the Human-Covenant war and has for the first time 'Master Chief' in a non-animated form. If that's not incentive enough for you maybe that Hunger Games girl(yeah she is in the series too; no big deal) would make you change your mind. Still unconvinced, check out the trailer below and decide for yourself. The series updates with new episodes each Friday both on You-tube and Halo Way point on the X-box.

WWE'13:

Given a choice, I would probably buy a WWE game every time over any other game that I don't own. Year after year ever since Here Comes The Pain, I have played and owned every single iteration of the franchise as it evolved from Smack Down to Smack down Vs. Raw to it current WWE avatar. With CM Punk on the cover, and the attitude era in the spotlight, only a fool would overlook this game. I have already written enough about the game and you can check it out here and hence I won't waste much space here. The game came out on the 30th of October this year and is already making waves all over the world, check out the IGN review below:



 Oh just a footnote before I leave you. Finished Borderlands finally. Don't think I would touch the game again but it was fun while it lasted. Also my room-mate has gone back to his hometown in pursuit of happiness, so while I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors, it also means I am back to playing single-player. This brings me to Mass-Effect. Now I have never played this X-Box marquee franchise, so when I saw a deal on the same on a web portal, I thought to myself why not. Would post a review soon, though I am not sure why anyone would read a review about a game that's about 5 years old. So anyways, while my adventures on Pandora have ended, the ones as Commander Shepard are just beginning, wish me luck.

Signing Off,

Ayush "Kabel" Chauhan